The Weird of the Three Arrows - Page 2

some other individual
to return your arrows."

"I canna tak' them hame again," said the woman, laying them down at the
feet of Sir James. "Ye'll see me again on St. James' E'en."

The old woman departed as she said these words.

Sir James took up the arrows, and placed them in an empty quiver that lay
amongst his baggage. He retired to rest, but not to sleep. The figure
of the old woman and her strange request occupied his thoughts, and
produced trains of meditation which ended in nothing but restlessness and
disquietude. Getting up at daybreak, he met a messenger at the entrance
of his tent, who informed him that Sir Thomas de Richmont, with a force
of ten thousand men, had crossed the Borders, and would pass through a
narrow defile, which he mentioned, where he could be attacked with great
advantage. Sir James gave instant orders to march to the spot; and, with
that genius for scheming, for which he was so remarkable, commanded his
men to twist together the young birch-trees on either side of the passage
to prevent the escape of the enemy. This finished, he concealed his
archers in a hollow way, near the gorge of the pass.

The enemy came on; and when their ranks were embarrassed by the
narrowness of the road, and it was impossible for the cavalry to act with
effect, Sir James rushed upon them at the head of his horsemen; and the
archers, suddenly discovering themselves, poured in a flight of arrows on
the confused soldiers, and put the whole army to flight. In the heat of
the onset, Douglas killed Sir Thomas de Richmont with his dagger.

Not long after this, Edmund de Cailon, a knight of Gascony, and Governor
of Berwick, who had been heard to vaunt that he had sought the famous
Black Knight, but could not find him, was returning to England, loaded
with plunder, the fruit of an inroad on Teviotdale. Sir James thought it
a pity that a Gascon's vaunt should be heard unpunished in Scotland, and
made long forced marches to satisfy the desire of the foreign knight, by
giving him a sight of the dark countenance he had made a subject of
reproach. He soon succeeded in gratifying both himself and the Gascon.
Coming up in his terrible manner, he called to Cailon to stop, and,
before he proceeded into England, receive the respects of the Black
Knight he had come to find, but hitherto had not met. The Gascon's vaunt
was now changed; but shame supplied the place of courage, and he ordered
his men to receive Douglas's attack. Sir James assiduously sought his
enemy. He at last succeeded; and a single combat ensued, of a most
desperate character. But who ever escaped the arm of Douglas when fairly
opposed to him in single conflict? Cailon was killed; he had met the
Black Knight